Senior Project fee coming up!

Hi friends,

So many changes! As I may have explained, we will find out for sure in January whether Fran will GRADUATE in June 2018 or January 2019. She spoke to an official (they don't have advisors in Mexican schools, unfortunately) who seemed optimistic that if she could sign up for 7 classes this semester, she should probably be able to finish in June.

She signed up for those seven classes, and will be working double time until Christmas. She had to stop working for the dentist, so she has no other income now except what you kind people are providing. In return for her work, he paid her monthly bill at the Berlitz Language School. One of you has already stepped up to take care of that. Thank you!

Aside from taking it one step at a time, breathing deep, having faith, the only thing I'm nervous about now is the upcoming expense, in January, for her senior project, which obviously she must complete before graduation. Hopefully we will have some realistic estimates soon. But that fee, which is likely to be about $1,000 USD and will have to be paid sometime after the January semester begins.  Stay tuned. Getting specific information about anything is probably the most difficult challenge in Oaxaca, partly because decisions at the institutional level are made about 5 minutes before they go into effect.

So Fran will need some extra help financially to cross this Rubicon. I am looking for a few new donors. Perhaps you know someone who would like to help her leap over the last hump! It is a lot to ask anyone individual, so I am hoping a small (or large) group can chip in on it. But again, we are still looking for at least a few reliable estimates of the actual cost.

Meanwhile, expect invitations to her graduation sometime next year. YOU DID THIS! You made it possible for one bright young woman to have a future, and as soon as she can catch a breath, she will want to thank each of you in person.

Big hugs from Oaxaca.  And more soon.
Lorena and Fran

Fran's Expanding Life! -- Lots of Photos!

Hi Friends,

Fran is just winding up the school year and beginning to think about how she will spend her summer. She recently went on a trip with her classmates to Puebla, where they visited a coffee plantation, an orchid farm, a native plant arboretum, and an indigenous agricultural project. They also visited a Totonac ruin that looked quite amazing.

Fran at Totonac ruins

Fran with a couple of classmates at an arboretum in Puebla

Fran and her class at the Totonac ruin in Puebla

Fran at a beautiful waterfall and swimming pool in the wilds of Puebla

Fran with a young soldier in the back of a camioneta in Puebla

Immediately after her trip to Puebla, she was invited by some new friends on a pleasure excursion to El Istmo, where she saw a beach and an ocean for the first time in her life, at Salina Cruz. After a long, dry period of concentrating on her studies and being somewhat disillusioned with the male species, and to some extent the female species...she ran into this wonderful group of friends.

Fran & Friends at Salina Cruz

After the beach, they went to a fiesta in the town of Juchitan.

Fran dressed for the fiesta, second from right

Fran and some of her new friends. Checo is on the left.

Then they went to her friend Checo's graduation from Fran's school. You can read between the lines here...  Checo is a year ahead of her. Below is a photo of Checo with Fran at his graduation. He knows how to dance, and Fran has been taking classes, so she was ready! (THANK YOU SHEELA!)

Fran and Checo at their school. He just graduated.

Here is a photo Fran included to show you one of her classrooms:

Fran must have taken this photo...because I don't see here here.

Here are more photos. She has about 1,000, but we thought we'd spare you!

Fran at the ecological dormitory for students in Puebla

Fran in bamboo, Puebla

Hotel Cuetzalan, where the students stayed in Puebla

Stonework at Totonac ruin

Ok, that's all for now. We hope you enjoyed the photos!

This summer, Fran will be concentrating on English and if her school offers a class she needs for her degree, she will enroll. If not, she will take a much needed break, though she will continue to work for the dentist. And I suspects she'll be spending some pleasant hours with her new friend, Checo.

And to all of you who have donated to Fran's education, we send our gratitude and love!

Just got back from the States...

Last night, after traveling or waiting around to travel from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.  I'm still in a semi-coma but wanted to share some exciting news that I haven't even had time to consider very deeply, so more will follow.

As you know, we are looking ahead, planning for Fran's next steps after graduation in June 2018. I met with several people in California and have received correspondence with suggestions and offers of help, all of which are exciting. I also have news about the length of my projected stay in here Oaxaca, which is now longer than expected. I thought I was going to qualify for housing in California in about 2 years, but was informed that it will now be between 3 and 4 years.  I am 700th on the list! 

That means I can be here to support Fran in various small ways a bit longer. In the following weeks, she and I will be looking at the possibilities and organizing priorities.

The basics:

Fran will study English for 1 solid year, possibly 18 months, in order to pass the TOEFL test at the level expected by colleges in the U.S. and abroad. That means weekly classes (at least) at Berlitz, and 3 times per week with me, plus an English-only environment here at the house.

Fran will then attend graduate school near Mexico City to get her Masters in Agronomy. That should take 2 years.

But other opportunities have been offered and are possible:
1. An offer to go to school and work in New England.
2. Possibly attending Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz for a year.
3. Possibly working on an organic/sustainable farm near Barcelona and studying there, possibly a doctorate.

For now:

One step at a time. Investigating the details. Applying for a passport and visas, etc.  It's a little overwhelming, but we have time to do it all at a measured pace.  Thank you so much to you all, and especially those who are now becoming involved in helping with the next stages. 

Our goals:

That Fran receive a deeper and broader education than that available to her here in Mexico. That at the end of the process she will be able to support herself and love what she is doing, including contributing positively to her community and beyond. We are determined that she at least receive her Master's degree, become fluent and qualified in English, and have the benefit of at least one year abroad in Canada, the U.S., or Europe.

Onward!

Fran's future after graduation: 2 questions

Greetings from Oaxaca!
Thought you'd enjoy these two images -- Fran in her PJ's laboring over a school project and me celebrating, a bit early, my birthday, thanks to a surprise delivery from my neighbor, Susanna. Yep. It's the big 70.

I am taking off for 3 weeks in the States from March 18 to April 10, and Fran will be holding down the fort. During that time I'll be having a meeting about Fran's future after getting her undergraduate degree, as of June 2018.

Getting her school to commit to anything, including graduation dates is a slippery and frustrating endeavor, but as soon as we have narrowed it down, we will send you all a heartfelt invitation via this blog. So stay tuned! We hope you can come to help Fran celebrate.  More on that as we get closer to the occasion.

Meanwhile, Fran and I and a few others have put some thought into her trajectory after graduation, and have made a plan, based on what we know about the requirements she will face once graduate school begins.

First and foremost is the requirement that she must be completely fluent in English, enough to read principle texts, write papers, and take examinations in the language. She will, by our estimation, need at least 18 months of additional English classes, focused and intense, to reach the needed level. There is no sense in her rushing into graduate school without enough English proficiency.

Here are the main points of the plan that are known at this time.

Fran needs to continue with her Berlitz classes, seamlessly after graduation, for 12 to 18 months, between June 2018 and June or December 2019.

She will, for all or part of that time, be living on her own, paying rent, and working full time.

She will need her tuition and books to Berlitz paid for.

In approximately September or January 2019, she will start graduate school at a well-respected institution near Mexico City, in agronomy. That program will last 3 years, until 2022, and we are looking for funding for that -- details to be provided later.

Bottom line, I am asking for two pieces of information from each of her supporters:

1) I am asking those of you who have been sending Fran you support, to confirm if you are willing to continue your present level of support, from now until her graduation in June 2018.

THEN,

2. Do you anticipate that you would be willing to continue your support for her transition into living independently in Oaxaca, finding a job, and attending English classes at Berlitz through June 2019 or as long as through December 2019.

Please let me hear from you so we can work to prepare Fran for this transitional level of her education and beyond. You can send me an email at lcassady@gmail.com. Any and all questions are welcome, and I will be sure to get back to you.

I also wanted you to know that Fran is so aware of how you have changed her life...and for the first time, yesterday, she expressed interest in ultimately pursuing her Ph.D. That would not only change her life, it would change the aspirations of indigenous women throughout Mexico. It's that rare.

Besos and abrazos from Oaxaca!
Lorena and Fran

Easier way to contribute!

Many thanks and huge hugs to Leeann, who continues to maintain Fran's credit union account in Oregon and see that Fran receives your donations for her Education Fund.

Dear Friends,

Fran is now hooked up to her own PayPal account, so you can send contributions to her directly! Her Paypal email is:

franady_virgo@hotmail.com

If you are one of her few regular contributors and would like to change the method you have been using to contribute directly to Fran through PayPal, we'd appreciate a heads up. Otherwise, for now, feel free to continue as you have been doing. 

. . . and many thanks!

Amazing Fran!

Dear Friends,

There is so much to report, but I will begin with a recent challenge Fran faced, and her subsequent trials in overcoming it.

Last semester, in her microbiology class, her instructor announced an exam date. Fran studied nonstop for it, as she always does. She took the exam, and was informed a few days later that the teacher had LOST two exams. Hers was one of them. Let me just stop here and say that in my entire career as a student, up until my Master's Degree, and then in my long career as a teacher, I never heard of a teacher or professor LOSING an exam paper. This man has done it many times, apparently.

The exam was rescheduled for the following week for the two students whose papers were lost.  Fran took the exam, and a few days later, the final grades for all of her classes were posted on the class website. She got a "0" for the class in question.

Christmas vacation started immediately.

Fran didn't have one. She went to her school every weekday for 10 days, spending between 4 and 8 hours trying to track down the teacher, an administrator who would listen to her, even the director of the school. She would wait outside rooms where he was supposedly in conference or a meeting, but he never came out. She called him repeatedly. She was told his mother had died, and he had to leave town. He was running away from her.

Eventually she found out there was an on-campus organization to help students, but it wasn't up and running.

Meanwhile she heard from other students, and even another teacher, that this man was known for doing things like this, but he was untouchable, because he belonged to the political clique that runs the school Two years ago students if they did not attend a PRI rally (the most corrupt party in Mexico) they would be graded down one level. None of this discouraged Fran from continuing to insist on her rights. She knows she is one of the best students in the school. How could she have gotten a 0 for that class?

Finally she wrote a letter about what had happened, and all the measures she had taken to try and get the teacher and the administration to listen to her, and solve her problem. She threatened to take it to an outside civil rights agency. She gave a copy to the director of the school, to the teacher, and kept a copy for herself.

Finally, with only two days of her vacation left, the teacher started making conciliatory noises. He apologized to her and said he would rectify the situation. At this writing, we don't know if he will, but it looks promising. It only took Fran about 650 hours to get him to move.

But she did it. And I can't tell you how rare this is, for any Mexican, especially any student, and more especially a young indigenous woman, to stand up for their life. 

There is one fly in the ointment. It turns out that this teacher is in charge of the specialty Fran chose, and will be her instructor for 3 more classes before she graduates. (This instructor, by the way, does not even have his master's degree; he bribed his way into this position). Fran has been warned by another teacher to keep her eyes open. He may try to undermine her in the future.

I am not the only one that warned her to reevaluate, perhaps consider changing her specialty (from plants to animals) but she doesn't want to do that. She feels confident. She has already signed up for next semester's classes, including a class with this instructor. She also knows that at this point, if she wants to change her specialty, it would take weeks and weeks of bureaucratic grind, in which she would miss classes, and possibly be forced to skip the entire semester. You can't imagine the chaos of the educational system here. So, fingers crossed.

But our Fran is mastering the art of fighting back.

Update & Specific Request

Hi all!
Greetings from Oaxaca, Mexico!
Might as well start with Fran's new situation with her English Class. The dentist Fran works for has informed her that after this month, he can no longer pay for her English classes at Berlitz. This is a blow because she is now beginning to speak and write in English due to the quality of the class. It is a 700 pesos per month (or about $35 dollars). Other language options here are truly dismal, taught by Mexicans who can't speak, much less teach English effectively. Most of her classmates are taking these substandard classes and "graduate" without speaking, a total waste of time. I hope we can find someone to contribute $35 a month for the next 2 years, or even just for a year. Please let me know if you might be able to help.

Please mail donations to:

OCCU

PO Box 77002

Springfield, OR 97475-1046

Make checks out to: Francisca Education Fund

Or if you can send via PayPal, to lcassady@gmail.com

Now for other news:
My family recently visited Oaxaca and met Fran for the first time.  Well, my granddaughter met her three years ago when she visited Oaxaca with her mother.  In this photo, Hana (the tall one) and Fran are making a big batch of tamales for dinner. We had a great time together and now the house seems awfully quiet! 

Shortly my family left, Fran's younger brother arrived in Oaxaca from their home village in Cuicatlan and is trying to make his way here. It happened just as Fran was entering the end of her semester and exams, so it was a bit crazy for a few days. Thanks to Leeann and Steve, he hopefully has enough to get him stabilized with a job and a place to live. He has already filled out applications and applied for jobs. We are waiting to hear. Philemon does not live with us -- Fran found him a tiny room not far away, and after he finds a job, hopefully this month, he will be looking for a better place. He will have to live with more than one person. First step for Philemon is to learn Spanish. He must do that before he can go to school here in Oaxaca. So he will hopefully find a morning work shift which will allow him to take Spanish and math classes in the evening.

Other than that, we are hoping the situation here in Mexico doesn't go any farther downhill. The peso is falling, and people here seem to be very uncertain about their lives. The election of Donald Trump really upset everyone. Trump is the subject of most conversations here at the moment.

I still feel every bit as privileged as I always have to watch Fran grow and develop her skills, interests, and knowledge about the wider world. She has never wavered in her dedication to her classwork and still stands out to her teachers. Her work is held up as an example to others. Fran also recognizes how lucky she is to come home to a quiet apartment where she can sit and study undisturbed for as long as she needs to. Other students go home to relative chaos, many people and children living together, no privacy, no peace and quiet. I don't think I have ever seen anyone as focused, able to stay in the chair for 6 or 8 hours if she needs to, to complete a task. She has many obstacles to overcome as a poor indigenous young female in a culture that heavily discriminates against both, but if anyone can do it, she can. I hope she can maintain connections with you individually, especially as she learns enough English to eventually take over this blog!

Along with all the other things we are tracking, we are trying to get specific information about what it will take to get her into graduate school in Mexico City about 2 or 2.5 years from now. Stay tuned!

The weather has cooled off, the rains have gone, and the snowbirds are arriving. They will arrive in force after Christmas. Over the Christmas holidays Fran plans to go back to taking violin and swimming. She had to put those two activities on hold to cope with her school work, and work with the Dentist.

This might be a tense year, with the economy falling apart and the new governor taking over January 1. He is not a popular person here. Many believe the election was rigged. And so we expect more social upheaval. Fran and I are focused on getting that degree in her hands in a couple of years. One step at a time, no matter what it takes!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Fran and I ate at Quinque, a restaurant that always serves an American-style turkey dinner every year. I hadn't had turkey for several years. It was SO GOOD!  Big hugs from us in Oaxaca. Visit soon!
--Lorena and Fran